To all the MMA/UFC enthusiasts, mainstream sports reporters and Sports Illustrated writers who think boxing is dying or dead, I scoff loudly at your ramblings.
Scoff, scoff!
The basis for my open rebuke can be summed up in four words: Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao.
This Saturday, the two biggest stars in the Top Rank stable go fist-to-fist for Cotto's WBO welterweight title (from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View, 9 PM ET/6 PM PT/8 PM Central) in one of the most anticipated, hotly debated bouts of 2009. The downside? Ted DiBiase's second-hand "Million-Dollar Championship" (or, as the WBC calls it, the "Diamond Championship") will also be on the line as the fight will be waged at a catchweight.
I'll say this (and it'll smart a little): I'm willing to pay more respect to the WBO title before I even begin to consider extolling the virtues of the WBC's classless pawn shop offering. But enough negativity.
The fact that Cotto vs. Pacquiao has actually come to fruition is a true testament to both fighters' will to not just dominate their (in Pacquiao's case, an at-the-moment) division, but to give their fans what they want. To be fair, as the promoter of both men, Top Rank has been a big part of that. Some fighters want to be part of the big welterweight picture (WBA titleholder Shane Mosley) and others couldn't care less about anything other than a manufactured legacy (Floyd Mayweather Jr.). Other welters relatively fly under the radar (former IBF titlist Joshua Clottey) or haven't quite made the grade of heavy demand (WBC titlist Andre Berto).
And it's funny that THE RING magazine World Junior Welterweight Champion is even considered a welterweight player based on a lone welter win. That December 2008 win, over an Oscar De La Hoya that hadn't seen 147 on seven years, didn't so much give "Pac-Man" welterweight credibility as it did credit for facing a man who was still comparably dangerous to a fighter that began his career at 106 pounds.
But that fighter, Pacquiao, 49-3-2 (37), has proven that the adjustments he and long-time trainer Freddie Roach have made have served him well as he's jumped division after division. His power has not only followed him north but, seemingly, has improved. Pacquiao's left is still as sharp as a freshly-honed blade and his overall movement and hard-charging aggression evolves with each new opponent. Or maybe the latter just seems like it as opponents like De La Hoya and former THE RING magazine World Junior Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton just couldn't properly find the holes necessary to parlay their best attributes.
The fact that Mayweather, a fighter that can use his attributes to make an incredibly interesting fight, refuses to acknowledge Pacquiao is appalling. A win over Pacquiaoâ¦hell, even the challenge of Pacquiao, would spell a return to the competitive opposition "Money" hasn't known for over seven years. Back then, it was two weight classes ago and the opposition was Jose Luis Castillo, a man who tested Mayweather's limits in their first fight in April of 2002, losing via a controversial unanimous decision. Castillo was less than effective and lost in their rematch almost eight months later.
Still undefeated, twice retired with a recent comeback win over current THE RING magazine World Lightweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez and an undeserved number two rating in THE RING's welterweight top ten, Mayweather needs Pacquiaoâ¦oh, who am I kiddingâ¦Mayweather could use Cotto also to validate any welterweight ranking, much less an ill-gotten pound-for-pound ranking for the Marquez fight.
Whether or not Mayweather will ever face a legitimate welterweight threat remains to be seen and speculation on his future is moot. For anyone who thinks Mayweather defines the welterweight crop, they need look no further than those 147-pounders who have worked around the former welterweight king, making the best fights possible.
Cotto, 34-1 (27), one of those very welters, is a unique anomaly in and of himself. As a junior welterweight prospect, the hype job was on. As a junior welterweight contender, the eyes of boxing fans and boxing itself locked on to the Puerto Rican native like those of a wary probation officer. As a junior welterweight titlist, faced some of the best competition relative to his own skill set, at the time. Cotto even faced his share of pitfalls at 140, finding his defense breached by the likes of DeMarcus Corley and Ricardo Torres in February and September of 2005, respectively.
At welterweight, Cotto has truly come into his own, thanks to the depth of the division, at the very least. You could say it was something of a forced education. What also shouldn't go uncredited is Cotto's willingness to face the best welters. This gumption is what made his ill-fated choice to engage then-WBA titlist Antonio Margarito , in July of 2008, a reality.
Regardless of how Margarito-Cotto ended (and the plaster-casted conspiracy theories, whether true or not, just don't amount to anything right now. The loss is still the loss), the loss didn't affect Cotto's bravery (at least not outright). If it had, he mightn't have squared off against hard-as-a-rock ex-IBF titleholder Joshua Clottey last June. It's simply what a warrior does. And if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times (or probably ten or 15 times. Who the hell is counting anyway?). When you get that zero gone, the pressure is off. Think of it in comic book terms (I KNOW RingTv.com's very own Doug Fischer can subscribe to this). How many fights has Wolverine lost? It's sure gonna be more than one and that's with him being a total badass.
In boxing terms, "badass" isn't so much thrown around but if there were any two men that could be considered badasses, Pacquiao and Cotto are those guys.
And no matter how you slice it, Cotto-Pacquiao is a welterweight battle, although being contested at 145. The two pound demand on Cotto isn't a strain, as he's proven to make 147 rather easily. No one's expecting Pacquiao to blow up to 145 (He weighed in at 142 against Oscar) so weight is truly on Cotto's side. For all practical purposes, it's a welterweight outing.
Depending on who you are or how you view the welter picture, you might agree that Pacquiao's win over De La Hoya doesn't hold water. De La Hoya was obviously past his prime and hadn't the ammo he used to possess, even against the naturally smaller man. Back to Square One.
Pacquiao's a southpaw. Thus far at welterweight, Cotto has faced two southpaws, Zab Judah and Carlos Quintana; the former being the speedier. Those battles ended within the distance so you know the WBO titlist hasn't an issue with the lefties. His size and strength saw him through and will see him through against the Filipino.
It's also what will see him through to a unanimous decision win.
Look, there's a lot of hype coming into this match. As fans go, geographically, the line can be drawn between Boricua (or Latino redemption, if you're a Mexican cheering for Cotto) and Pinoy pride but reality is the real map-maker here. Yes, Pacquiao is a good boxer. He's improved under the tutelage of Roach. Fearless? In spades, Howlers. In his prime? You'd better believe it, Hoss.
But, in this writer's opinion, Miguel Cotto has the edge on everything Pacquiao has to offer. He's the better boxer (if only slightly), has a better body attack, an insane left hook (in relation to size) and possesses the power to impose. If Cotto can manage to get Pacquiao against the ropes or even corner him, he's gonna gain some rounds if he can meld that size with combinations, power and speed.
Pacquiao can only do as well if Cotto is willing to drop defense for even a second. As the oft-used adage states: Speed kills. It can happen. But that's really the only edge Pacquiao has on Cotto.
But Cotto has that welter axe to grind. A victory over "Pac-Man" is a step in the right direction for a possible Mayweather outing, should "Money May" not pick on Pacquiao for losing. But that's a pipe dream in itself. And as long as Mayweather's not taking on welters and playing the silly little "Oh, he's a pound-for-pound entrant so it doesn't matter what his natural fighting weight is. If I get the win, it's legit." games, we'll never see him face a legitimate top ten welter at all.
AT ALL.
So, we'll take what we can get. For now, Cotto vs. Pacquiao is more than enough and, dammit, we're loving it.